OK to text & drive until Dec. 31

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
August 7, 2009

What a bunch of wimps!

Illinois has a new traffic law - you can't text and drive, but it won't become law until January 1, 2010. Why didn't the legislators have the guts to make it effective immediately? Maybe they couldn't spell "immediately" while they were driving and texting.

Have you noticed how many drivers are texting while they are driving? Many! In almost every line of moving traffic, you can see drivers of all ages reading and sending text messages. Check it out.

And get out of their way. You'll have half a fighting chance if you let them get around you; ten you'll only have to worry about oncoming texting drivers. If you spot one in your rearview mirror, do whatever you must to let them go around.

Dialing a cell phone is bad enough; you are only distracted momentarily. Figure out the voicedial function on your cell phone and use it. Not the speed-dial; the voice-dial.

Earlier this week I was out for a motorcycle ride and, on the way through Fox River Grove, I noticed the woman driver to my right was constantly looking down toward her lap. At a red light I saw that she was studying a newspaper advertising insert. I guess she didn't want a cop to see what she was reading while driving, so she had it in her lap, instead of holding it up in front of the steering wheel! Her eyes were off the road constantly, just searching for a few pennies to save.

Had she run into the car in front of her at 30MPH while trying to save some money at the Dollar Store, there really wouldn't be much net savings, would there?